The Pregnancy Pact
by MelanieCat45
Summary: CRACK. This story is so crack you get a contact high from standing next to it. This is based off the TNRPG and various ooc chats. It is not meant to be taken seriously. It features many original characters. Crack!Fic. You've been warned.
1. Chapter 1: In Which a Pact is Made

"I think I'm losing Horse…" Sassy stirred her coffee listlessly, propping her head on her hand as the girls sat in Tibby's.

"I'm losing Shemp, too…" Pittie groaned and leaned back in her chair.

"Well, you may be losing them, but they're gaining each other. At least someone wins…" Lillian rolled her eyes, ignoring the glares from Sassy and Pittie.

"That's not very nice, Lilly…" Scribble lightly hit Lillian's shoulder, then wrapped her hands around her mug. "Race has been distant… I hate it…"

"I'm sorry, Twinie… I'm happy with Blink, though!" Yai grinned and bounced in her chair, making Lillian raise an eyebrow.

"How much sugar did you put in your coffee?"

"Um…."

"No more sugar for you." Lillian pulled the sugar canister away from the bubbly girl. "Anyway, I think things are good with me and Shrimp? He's still upset that he's an awful newsie, but he's looking for other work."

"That's good!" Muse beamed across the table at Lillian. "Snoddy and I are doing well. I'm quite happy."

"And you know how things are with me and Swifty!" Lucy chirped, making Sassy throw a napkin at her.

"Yes, we know, but no, we don't want to hear about it." Scribble made a face, making Lucy giggle.

"How about you and Itey, Silk?" Yai raised an eyebrow, still not used to Itey and Silk dating.

"Oh, it's good. Good. I haven't told Horse yet, but he's been distracted, so he doesn't ask me where I go." Silk smiled and blushed, looking down at her mug of tea.

The girls fell into silence for a few moments, sipping their drinks and thinking. Yai broke the silence by drumming her fingers on the table, then saying, "I want a baby."

A chorus of "Me too!" met her statement and the girls stared at each other in shock before dissolving into giggles.

"I mean…" Lillian was the first to recover, to clarify her thoughts. "I love kids. I just… I don't know if I can give up dancing for nine months…"

"You wouldn't have to for the whole time. Just once you start showing and you can bring the baby to rehearsals and shows and leave it backstage." Scribble tapped a finger against her chin, thinking.

"And you can help me in my shop while you're pregnant, you're a good seamstress," Silk added, tugging on a loose curl.

"Are we really discussing this like we're all going to get pregnant soon?" Muse asked, disbelieving.

"Well, why not? We all have boyfriends, boyfriends we're trying to hang on to…" Sassy muttered darkly. "If I get pregnant, Horse can't leave me."

"That's really… Manipulative…" Lucy ventured, then bit her lip. "But I know I want to be with Swifty forever, he just hasn't asked me to marry him yet!"

"If we all got pregnant, we'd be able to support each other, raise our babies together." Yai grinned, overjoyed at the idea.

"I don't know…" Silk murmured. "Horse would murder Itey."

"Blink would murder Horse."

"And Itey would murder Shrimp. We'll just have to keep them from doing that, then."

"So… Are we agreeing, then?"

"Yes. We're going to get pregnant. And be pregnant together."

The girls smiled and raised their drinks in a toast.

_Huh. That's odd…_ Lillian frowned as she got dressed after rehearsal, tugging at her corset strings. She let her hands fall from the laces and run over her stomach, confused at the slight bulge. Not enough that anyone would notice, but enough that she definitely noticed. She hadn't been eating more than normal, why…. _Oh._ Her hands flew to her mouth as she rapidly counted back the days to her last monthly course. _Oh! _She bit her lip and resumed dressing, lacing her corset loosely with shaking hands, trying not to smile. She was meeting the other girls for dinner; she'd talk to them and figure out what to do. Itey was going to murder Shrimp…

Yai leaned back against the bathroom wall, holding her stomach. Her mother pounded on the door and Yai called, "Mami, I'm fine! I'll be out in five minutes!" Her mother's footsteps faded away and Yai sighed, waiting for the nausea to pass. She wasn't really sick, she just felt nauseous in the mornings. It wasn't a big deal, it was just annoying… Her eyes suddenly opened wide and she sat up, clapping a hand to her mouth.

Scribble hovered over the toilet, praying it was over. When a few minutes passed without anything else coming up, she sat back, rubbing her head. At least she felt fine after throwing up in the morning. What on earth could be making her this sick, but fine an hour later… She lunged for the toilet, heaving up whatever was left in her stomach. _Oh._

Sassy sat down on a park bench, winded after the walk from the distribution center. What on Earth was wrong with her? She could usually do the walk three or four times over without breaking a sweat. Something was definitely wrong, she could hardly keep her lunch down anymore. But what? She skimmed the headlines, not really paying attention, when suddenly her eyebrows snapped up and the papers slid from her hands. She scurried to gather the papers, pressing her lips together to hide her grin.

Pittie chased after Tumbler, trying to get him to calm down and get dressed for the day. Groaning, she fell back on one of the bunks, exhausted and suddenly feeling queasy. Tumbler pounced on her stomach and she groaned, pushing him away impatiently. "Not now, sweetheart, I don't feel so good…." Tumbler shrugged and scampered away to get dressed, leaving Pittie to wonder why she wasn't feeling well. Well, it could be…. But no. So soon?

Lucy stared at her figure in the mirror, frowning as she turned this way and that. No, there was definitely a bulge in her midsection. But why? She hadn't been eating any more than usual, there was no way she could have gained weight without noticing. But there it was, that slightly bulge that Lucy knew wasn't there two weeks ago. She tapped her finger against her chin, then suddenly grinned.

Muse finished singing, cheerfully accepting coins in her hat, but her smile faded as the small crowd moved away and she sank to sit on the curb, counting the coins as she tried to regain her breath. She was never this tired, what was going on? She didn't really feel sick, at least, not beyond the few minutes in the morning when she felt like she was going to throw up, but that always passed… Suddenly she looked up, a strange expression on her face. Taking a deep breath, she put the coins in her pocket and put her hat back on her head, grappling with feeling excited or terrified.

"Go away, Clarence! I'm just a little sick, you don't need to hovor!" Silk sat next to the toilet, hoping she wasn't going to throw up again. She had been doing this for a couple of weeks and Horse was, understandably, worried. Silk always felt better an hour after she threw up, so she had no idea what was wrong. Everything else was normal… No, it wasn't. She had missed her monthly courses this month. That was odd, why would she…. Oh. She sat back, eyes wide and nervous. Clarence was going to murder her…

That evening, the girls met in Tibby's, all clearly wanting to share something with the group. They stared at each other, trying to figure out who would go first, then finally they all burst out at once, "I think I'm pregnant!"

"You're pregnant?"

"Oh, my God, girls!"

"This is perfect!"

"We can have playdates and a baby shower together and-"

"I can't believe this!"

"What a coincidence!"

"Oh my God!"

The waiters at Tibby's stared over at the table with a mixture of apprehension and confusion. One of them nudged the other.

"You go wait on them."

"No, you go."

"No, I insist."

"Gary, those girls are crazy!"

"I know, it's why I insist."

"…Maybe they'll just keep chattering and not order anything?"

"…Let's hope so."


	2. Chapter 2: In Which The Boys Appear

"So… How are we going to tell the boys?" Pittie drummed her fingers on the table, upset that Muse had quickly instituted a no-caffeine rule, as she said it was bad for the babies. She wanted her coffee. She was starting to get antsy, she hardly ever went too long without coffee.

"Stop fidgeting, Pittie." Sassy wasn't heeding her own advice, as she was twirling a strand of hair around her finger. The newsgirls were used to relying on coffee to get them through the day and weren't sure how long they'd be able to stick to the no-coffee rule.

Lillian rolled her eyes. "Anyway… I guess we'll just have to come out and tell them?" She shrugged, but under the table her legs were restlessly twitching. "Christ, I need a cigarette…"

"No, Lilly!" Yai smacked her shoulder lightly. "That's even worse than coffee."

"God… I'm going to get fat!" Lillian groaned and buried her head in her arms, making the other girls giggle.

"Calm down, Lilly." Lucy patted her back. "It's only for six-ish months. Anyway, how far along do you think we all are?"

"I think… Two or three months?" Lillian mumbled into her arms. "I'm going to keep dancing until Medda or the other girls notice."

"I can't be more than a month, I've only skipped one course." Silk tugged at her earlobe, then added, "Sassy? Please tell Horse not to kill me or Itey?"

"If Yai tells Blink not to murder Horse." Sassy smiled at the younger girl, then continued, "I think I'm one or two months along? Not too far."

"I'm pretty sure I'm about three months along," Lucy said. "I'm definitely starting to show."

Pittie bit her lip, then said, "I'm probably a month or so along. Not too far."

"About a month for me too," added Muse.

"I think I'm two months along?" Scribble chewed her lip, thinking. "I've missed two courses, anyway."

"I think only one month for me…" Yai finally said, after thinking it over. "Lillian, Lucy, how did you two not notice?"

"I'm tiny and I'm a dancer. My courses are always irregular, I hardly notice if they're late." Lillian still had her head buried in her arms. "I'm going to get so fat…."

"I don't know, exactly. I just didn't notice." Lucy shrugged, grinning. "Stop complaining, Lilly. You're going to have a baby, it's great!"

"Fat, fat, fat…."

"Oh, just ignore her." Yai rolled her eyes.

"Well, we have to tell the boys soon. I mean, Swifty's bound to notice sooner than later, I mean, we are-"

"We don't need to hear it!" Scribble interrupted, making the rest of the girls giggle.

"But…"

"Save it, Lucy." Pittie rolled her eyes. "We know, you and Swifty are intimate. We don't need the details."

"Fine." Lucy pouted.

"Fat, fat, fattie fat fat…"

"Silk, do Lilly a favor and tell Itey not to murder Shrimp?" Pittie glanced over at Lillian, slightly concerned by her continued muttering into her arms.

"Will do." Silk smiled, which faded at Lillian kept muttering to herself.

"For God's sake, Lilly! Knock it off!" Yai smacked her shoulder, which made Lillian sit up and whimper.

"Fine." She rolled her eyes, sinking back in her chair. "Christ, I need a cigarette…"

"Lilly!"

"Sorry!"

"Anyway!" Scribble held up her hands for quiet, to stop any further arguments. "We should try and tell the boys tonight, or in the next week. Sooner rather than later."

"Mhmm." Yai nodded. "We're all getting together next weekend, so it'll be good for them to all know before that."

"Are we telling them about all of us? Or just ourselves?"

Scribble tapped her fingers against her chin, then declared, "Just ourselves. I mean, it'll be interesting to see how they'll all react next weekend…."

"Your funeral…" muttered Lillian. "Be ready to hold the overprotective brothers back, that's all I'm saying."

"Itey's not even really your brother," Sassy interjected.

"Yeah, well, Blink isn't yours, either," countered Lillian.

"Overprotective brother types, how's that?" asked Pittie, smiling when the other girls nodded.

"To babies!" Muse raised her glass of water in a toast, making the other girls giggle.

"To babies!"

* * *

><p>"Shrimp?"<p>

"Mhmm?"

"Just a second…." Lillian pulled away from Shrimp, who frowned.

"What is it?"

"Hmm…" Lillian shifted slightly in Shrimp's lap, trying to find the words. "…I'm pregnant?"

When Shrimp didn't say anything, she looked up at his face, frowning.

"Shrimp?"

"Just…. God, really?" She couldn't read his face, so she merely nodded, waiting for him to say something. His arms tightened around her waist and his jaw tensed, the only real indication he heard her.

"Are…. Are you okay?"

"Yeah… Yeah. Just… God!"

* * *

><p>Yai blushed as Blink kissed her neck, her hands tightening their grip on his hair. He pulled away and smirked at her, making her blush grow.<p>

"Just…. Hang on a minute? I need to tell you something…"

"What is it, darlin'?"

"I…. I'm pregnant." Yai looked down, chewing on her lip. When Blink didn't say anything for a few moments, she glanced back up, trying to read his expression.

"You're… You're sure?"

She nodded. "Pretty sure."

"Oh. Um." He chewed on his lip for a few moments, then smiled weakly at her. "That's… great?"

She smiled brightly at him.

* * *

><p>"Race?"<p>

"Yeah, Scrib?"

"You're not really listening, are you?" Scribble leaned her chin on her hand, watching Race. It was cute, how worked up he got about the horse races, but it was so boring just sitting there. Race said she was his lucky charm, but Scribble didn't feel very lucky right now.

"Nah, I'm listenin'. What is it, Scrib?" He didn't take his eyes off the track, just turned his head slightly toward Scribble.

"I'm pregnant."

"That's nice, Scrib… C'mon, get goin'! C'mon, c'mon, c'mon!"

"What did I say?"

Race finally tore his eyes away from the track and grinned at her. "Ya said you were pregnant." Scribble gave him a moment, watching as the grin slid off his face and he paled. "Ay, caro me…"

* * *

><p>Sassy smiled contently from her position in Horse's arms, sitting on the roof and watching the sunset. If Horse was a little distracted, she didn't notice. Eventually, she murmured, "Horse, I need to tell ya somethin'…"<p>

"Oh? I, uh, I guess I gotta tell ya something too, then."

"Really? What is it?"

"….No, you go first, Sassy."

"Okay. Well…" Sassy bit her lip, trying to figure out how to phrase it. "I'm pregnant."

"You're what?"

Sassy turned to look at Horse, noting how the color drained from his face. "I'm pregnant."

"Oh. Uh…" Horse gulped, then fixed a grin on his face. "That's…. great?"

Sassy beamed and nodded. "What did you want to tell me?"

"Uh…" Horse rubbed his neck, then shrugged. "No, never mind. It wasn't really important."

Sassy raised an eyebrow, but settled back into his arms, smiling. "It's wonderful. We're gonna be parents."

"Yeah…. Just great…"

* * *

><p>"What is wrong with you?" Pittie threw her hands in the air in frustration, glaring at Shemp.<p>

He shrugged, turning and walking away from her. "Pittie, I don't think this is gonna work out. I tried, I really did…."

Pittie glared at his back, then set her jaw and announced, "I'm pregnant."

Shemp was silent for a moment, still facing away from Pittie.

"Did you hear me?" Pittie crossed her arms. "I'm pregnant. With your baby."

"….I heard ya…" Shemp finally turned back, a strained smile on his face. "I… Uh… That's good? If you're happy? Um…"

"Yes, I'm happy. Are ya still gonna leave me?"

Shemp hesitated for a moment, but shook his head. "No, no, I mean… If you're pregnant… This changes things, huh?" He swallowed, then murmured, "I'll keep trying?"

Pittie grinned and jumped to hug him.

* * *

><p>"Swifty?" Lucy pulled away from the kiss, still with her arms wrapped around his neck.<p>

Swifty moved to kiss her neck, murmuring, "Yeah?"

"Hang on, this is serious." Lucy pulled away from him, frowning in playful disapproval.

"Okay, okay. We'll be serious. What is it?"

"I'm pregnant."

"What!" Swifty squeaked out, eyes wide. "Really?"

Lucy nodded. "Really."

"Oh… God, um…" Swifty licked his lips nervously, then dropped to one knee. "Lucy?"

Lucy's jaw dropped and she barely managed to breathe a "Yes?"

"Will you marry me?"

There was silence for a moment, then Lucy pounced on Swifty, exclaiming, "Yes, yes, yes!"

Swifty grinned and wrapped his arms around her and soon they were kissing again, brimming over with happiness.

* * *

><p>Muse swung her legs as she sat on the park bench with Snoddy, her eyes fixed on her feet. They held hands, and Snoddy kept smiling over at her, making Muse fix a smile on her face. Eventually, she murmured to her feet, "I'm pregnant."<p>

There was silence for a moment. "You're pregnant?"

Muse just nodded.

"You're sure?"

Another nod.

Snoddy took a deep breath. "Well, uh… I'm here for you. An'… An' I'm always gonna be here. An' that's great, really. A baby. Wow."

Muse bit her lip and smiled slightly at Snoddy. "Thanks…" Blushing, she leaned her head against his shoulder and he shifted to wrap an arm around her, grinning.

* * *

><p>"Itey?"<p>

"Mhmm?" Itey smiled over at Silk as they walked, hands intertwined. She hesitantly smiled back, then glanced down at her feet, a blush rising to her cheeks. "Josie, what is it?"

She bit her lip, then muttered, "I'm pregnant."

Itey gaped. "Wh-what? Really? Oh, God, you're brother's gonna kill me…"

Silk stared at him for a moment, then started giggling.

"What? What's so funny?"

"Nothing… It's just that you're right, Clarence is going to murder you." She shook her head, then asked, "So… are you going to say anything else?"

Itey bit his lip, shrugging. "Are ya happy about it?"

After a moment, Silk nodded. "I think so…"

"So, uh… If you're happy, then I'm happy for ya an' I'll support ya an' try to provide for ya an' the baby… Provided I'm not dead…"

Silk giggled again, then wrapped her arms around Itey's arm, leaning her head against his shoulders. "You're sweet."

"Tha's what they tell me."


	3. Chapter 3: In Which Drama Unfolds

The following weekend was, suffice to say, awkward. The group of newsies and their girls sat in the bunkroom at the Duane Street Lodging House, awkwardly glancing around the room but no one saying anything.

Jack nervously glanced around the room, before murmuring to Rosetta, "I feel like I'm outa the loop or somethin'."

She laughed softly, leaning her head against his shoulder. "Oh, just wait. Things should get interesting soon."

"Whaddya mean?" He wrapped his arms around her, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, nothing…." She shrugged, smiling. Being a waitress at Tibby's meant she often overheard the girls' conversations without meaning to.

"Lilly? Where's Shrimp?" Silk's innocent question managed to serve as the catalyst to the drama.

In other words, Lillian burst into tears, making Pittie move away from Shemp and rush over to hug her.

"Sweetheart, what's wrong?"

"H-he… he left!" she wailed and buried her head in Pittie's shoulder.

"Oh." Pittie sighed and rubbed Lilly's back. "Oh, sweetie. You don't need this, not on top of the hormones."

The reply was another muffled wail and Lilly's shoulders shaking in huge sobs.

"Um… What does Pittie mean, hormones?" Itey frowned slightly, standing and going over to Lilly, stroking her hair to try and calm her down.

Pittie hesitated for a moment, before saying, "Oh, screw it. She's pregnant. I'm pregnant. We're all pregnant." She paused for a moment, then added, "Well, Rosetta probably isn't. Or Clover. Or Anneliese. Or Sun. Or Cricket, Birdie, Blondie, or Mai."

Sassy rolled her eyes and amended, "Pittie means that Lilly, Lucy, Muse, Yai, Scribble, Silk, Pittie, and I are pregnant. There."

"WHAT?" Blink, Horse, and Itey all stood up at once, each glaring at their sister or sister figure.

"Hell, Lilly, he left ya an' you're pregnant? Voy a matar el hijo de puta."

"He went back to England, Itey, drop it. And besides, the baby might not even be his." Lilly had recovered enough to sit up, wiping her eyes.

"….You have got to be kiddin' me." Itey stared at her. "Ya don' even know who's the father?"

"Itey, I'm going to start crying again."

Meanwhile, Horse had gone over to Silk. "The squirrelly little Mexican got ya pregnant? That's it, I'm gonna kill him."

"No, Clarence, hang on…" Silk grabbed onto his sleeve, glancing at Itey nervously, before hissing, "It's not his baby but I'm his girl so what am I supposed to do?"

Horse stared at her for a moment. "You can't be serious."

She shrugged, glancing at Itey in concern. "I don't know what to do…."

Blink strode over to Sassy, casting a glare at Horse. "He got ya pregnant."

"Yes." Sassy raised an eyebrow.

"Even though ya two have been on and off for months now?"

"Yep."

"And now he's staying with ya because of the baby?"

"Bingo!" Sassy laughed.

"…Am I supposed t' kill him or somethin'?" Blink looked slightly confused.

"No, now go make sure your baby momma is okay. She's glaring daggers at Silk."

Blink sighed, but returned to Yai, rubbing her shoulders and grinning at her. She smiled back.

"Well, who's the dad?" Itey was still trying to interrogate Lilly despite Pittie's protests that it was upsetting her.

"I don't know!" Lilly threw her hands in the air in frustration. "It could be Shrimp, Tommy, or Snoddy! How the hell am I supposed to know?"

"What?" Muse glared at Snoddy. "You slept with her?"

"Uh…" Snoddy ran his hand through his hair nervously. "Yeah?"

Muse rolled her eyes. "Well, you know what, this baby might not be yours either. It could be Pie's, honestly!"

"What?"

"You heard me!"

"…I'm not dealin' with this." Snoddy stood and stalked out of the room, headed up to the roof for a smoke.

"God, now I have three people to kill…" Itey pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Drop it, Itey. Shouldn't you be worried about Horse killing you?"

Itey cast a glance over at Horse. "Um… He doesn't look like he's gonna kill me?"

Shemp cast a glance over at Pittie. "Are you sure I'm the dad?"

"Well, uh…" Pittie looked nervously between Shemp and the ground.

"…Yeah, that's all the answer I need." He rolled his eyes and stood, walking out of the bunkroom to go for a walk.

"Um… So, the baby's mine, right?" Race glanced over at Scribble nervously.

She nodded, laughing. "Definitely yours."

"Oh. Good." He chuckled and pulled her closer to him. "I don' need the drama."

"Lilly, how can ya not know who the dad is?"

"Oh for heaven's sake, leave me alone!" Lilly stood to stalk out of the room, then halted at the door, her eyes filling with tears. "I can't…" She let out a sob and dropped to sit on the floor, bawling again.

"This is crazy…." Jack muttered to Rosetta, watching the others.

"This is better than a play!" Rosetta laughed, snuggling closer to Jack. "But if you ever get me pregnant, I'm leaving you to the mercy of my brothers."

Jack gulped. "All right…."

She laughed and pressed a kiss to his cheek before glancing around at the others. "This is going to be interesting."


	4. Chapter 4: In Which There Is A Wedding

"Bumlets?"

"Yeah, Cricket?" He glanced down at her, adjusting the bow in her hair so it was straight.

"Why are they all pregnant and I'm not?" She pouted, straightening his tie.

"Um. Cause…. Cause a baby is a lot of responsibility?"

"But I want a baby!" she whined. "Your baby."

"Hey, uh, Cricket? Maybe later, ya know?" Bumlets rubbed his neck, a bit uncomfortable.

"But someday, okay?" She brightened, bouncing to kiss him quickly.

"Sure, someday. C'mon, we don' wanna be late." He shook his head and held out his arm to her as the pair left the lodging house, headed to the courthouse. Today was Swifty and Lucy's wedding and everyone was invited, even if there were some tensions between the expectant mothers and the potential fathers.

Along the way, they joined up with Race and Scribble, both in very good moods as Scribble hung off Race's arm, laughing at whatever he just said. Race nodded at Bumlets, who nodded back, both couples proceeding into the courthouse to where the other newsies and the girls waited.

Swifty stood by the judge, nervously shifting from foot to foot as Mai stood next to him, chuckling at his antsyness. "Calm down, Gege. It will be fine."

Swifty shrugged, clasping his hands. "Easy for ya to say. What if she changes her mind?"

Mai stared at him for a moment. "She's pregnant. She's not going to change her mind."

Swifty opened his mouth to make a retort when the doors opened and Lucy walked out, on Jack's arm, the Manhattan leader volunteering to give her away. Lucy hesitantly looked up at Swifty, her face breaking into a huge smile and everything else melted away for him.

Her gown was simple, tailored by Silk to accommodate for the pregnancy. The empire waist concealed the slight bulge and her veil, with her curly brown hair, framed her face perfectly. Swifty hardly noticed her clothes, though, as he beamed at her and her beautiful face, shining with her smile. That was all that mattered to him.

The ceremony was simple, performed by the judge and with Mai and Jack as witnesses. The newsies and girls applauded as Swifty and Lucy walked out, arm in arm, their wide smiled matching as they set off for their apartment, paid for with help from Mai and a newly found inheritance from Swifty's parents.

* * *

><p>The following week, the girls rejoined in Tibby's, rolling their eyes at Lucy's smile, which seemed like it would never go away. Rosetta made her way over to their table with water, smiling down at them.<p>

"Hey, girls. How're things going for you all?"

"I'm so happy!" Lucy burst out, making the other girls groan.

"We know." Lilly sighed, slumped over the table. "Medda made me stop dancing, I don't know who the father is, Itey's furious at me, and I'm dying for a drink."

"If you touch alcohol, so help me, Lillian, I will strangle you." Scribble glared at the moody dancer, then turned her attention back to Rosetta. "I'm good. I miss Twinie, though."

Rosetta glanced around the table. "Oh, where is Yai? And Muse?"

"Twinie had to move out west with her family and Clippy." Scribble sighed, looking down. "I miss her."

"I'm sorry, Scribble." Rosetta patted her shoulder, having finished passing out the waters.

"And Muse got a job singing in Chicago," Sassy added, drumming her fingers on the table. "Are ya sure ya can't bring me some coffee?"

"Sorry, Sassy." Rosetta laughed. "Hey, Pittie, you're quiet."

"Just thinking." Pittie shrugged. "My second kid an' all."

Rosetta nodded, then glanced over at Silk. "You're quiet too, dear."

Silk sighed, tugging on her hair. "I don't know. Clarence is just…. He's upset at Sassy, upset at me, upset at everything. It's awful."

"I'm sorry, dear." Rosetta nodded again. "Well, I've got other table, so call me if you need anything." With that, she turned and walked off to one of her other tables, leaving the girls to chat.

Sassy sighed. "How the hell are we gonna figure out who the dads are?"

"Heck if I know," Pittie muttered. "Well, if mine comes out with red hair, I'll know, yeah?" She chuckled slightly, not smiling.

Lilly laid her head on the table, groaning. "I don't know how I'll tell. I mean, it's not like Tommy, Snoddy, or Shrimp have any distinguishing features that'll pop up in a baby."

"I'm sorry, Lilly." Scribble patted her back.

"I need a drink. Ouch!"

Scribble had smacked the back of her head, glaring at the girl. "Stop it, Lilly."

"Sorry."

Lucy smiled contently, apparently not noticing the other girls' distress. "How's Cricket for a name?"

"Isn't that the girl obsessed with Bumlets?" Silk frowned slightly.

"Oh."

"Maybe as a nickname?" suggested Sassy, shrugging.

"Maybe." Lucy nodded slowly, biting her lip.

"Anyway, we've all got plenty of time for names and all." Pittie finally smiled. "Lucy and Lilly are only 4-ish months along, right? Plenty of time."

"I'm gonna get fat…."

"Oh my god, Lilly, shut up!"


	5. Chapter 5: In Which Babies Are Born

((AN: Yes, this is a long chapter. Sorry. I would have split it, but I didn't think it would be fair. The next chapter is probably going to be long, too. But enjoy!))

The next five months seemed to crawl by to the girls. Lucy and Swifty were trying to figure out how to set up their new apartment and be responsible adults, Lucy still working at the bakery and Swifty selling papers while he looked for a better paying, steadier job. Race and Scribble discussed whether they should get married, deciding to wait until after the baby was born and then talk about it again, because Scribble wasn't sure if they would be able to support a family on their own and her parents, while disappointed in her, hadn't kicked her out and would help out after the baby was born.

For the other girls, things weren't nearly so happy. Sassy and Horse had a shouting match about the pregnancy, and Sassy had screamed that maybe the baby wasn't his, it could be Snitch's and Horse had stared for a moment before yelling obscenities about the buck-toothed kid and how Sassy was trying to trap him before stalking out in search of Shemp. Sassy had stared after him before collapsing in a heap and crying. Pittie and Shemp had a row because she said she didn't think the baby was really his and he swore, calling her a bitch and whore and storming out to find Horse. Pittie glared after him, her arms crossed defiantly. Good riddance. She didn't need him.

Silk had been avoiding Itey, who quickly picked up that something was wrong. They had a quiet conversation in her shop, where Silk burst into tears and admitted that the baby probably wasn't his and she was so sorry. Itey had nodded slowly, patted her shoulder, and awkwardly walked out of the shop, not sure what else to do. Lillian essentially dissolved into a sobbing mess any time anyone tried to talk to her about the baby and who the father was. She couldn't dance, she couldn't smoke, she couldn't drink, she couldn't do anything but sit and read and think and she hated it. She had resigned herself to helping Silk in her shop, quietly sewing and trying not to cry all over the dresses.

The girls kept meeting for lunch at Tibby's every Saturday, talking with Rosetta and trying to keep their spirits up. As the months passed, even Lillian had to admit she was getting a little excited about getting to hold her little boy or girl. The girls couldn't stop discussing baby names, debating whether Annabella or Suzanne was prettier and whether knowing who the fathers were would make any difference in the name.

* * *

><p>Lucy went into labor first. She was folding laundry when a sudden sharp pain made her drop the towel and gasp. She held still for a moment, not sure what the pain was, until another pain almost made her fall over. "Swifty!"<p>

"What? Lucy, are you okay?" Swifty ran into the room, wild-eyed and worried.

Lucy had to laugh at his appearance, even as another pain made her wince. "I think I'm going into labor."

"What?"

Lucy sighed and rolled her eyes. "I'm having the baby, Swifty. We need to go to the hospital."

"Oh… Oh! Right, yeah, lemme get your bag an' your coat an'…. An' can ya walk? Do I gotta get a carriage? Aw, hell, what do I do?"

Lucy laughed again, wrapping an arm protectively around her belly as she moved out of the room to get her own coat. "I think I can walk to the hospital. It's not too far. My bag's by the door. We've gone over this, Swifty."

"Oh… Oh, yeah, right. Sorry, Luce." Swifty laughed nervously and followed after her, wrapping an arm around her for support. "Just worried, that's all."

"It'll be okay, Swifty!" Lucy laughed as they walked out of the apartment to the hospital, finding it hilarious that she was the one reassuring her husband when she was going into labor.

Perhaps Swifty should have been comforting Lucy instead of the other way around. Lucy was in labor for nearly sixteen hours, screaming and squeezing Swifty's hand until he thought it would fall off. Swifty also thought he was dangerously close to fainting. But eventually, Lucy gave birth to a beautiful little girl who appeared to take after Swifty in looks with her almond shaped eyes and black hair. She had her mother's green eyes, though.

"What'll we call her?" Swifty leaned over the bed, smiling at his wife and daughter.

"I like Lauren… And you said Sango once? That would be pretty. Lauren Sango Lao." Lucy smiled as she cradled the little girl in her arms.

"Yeah. That's real pretty, Luce. Our little Lauren."

* * *

><p>Lillian was the next to go into labor. Her pains started when she was at Silk's shop and she had ignored them for a while, until one nearly made her fall off her chair.<p>

"Lilly? Are you all right?"

"I…" Lillian took a deep breath, making herself focus. "I think I'm going into labor?"

"Oh, God… Lilly, you have to go to the hospital! Come on, I'll close the shop and walk you there!" Silk bounced up, setting her own work aside and grabbing the dress Lillian was working on out of her lap. She wasn't as far along as Lillian and still had energy. "I'll walk you to the hospital, then go get Itey, okay? He'll want to be there for you."

"Okay…" Lillian nodded slowly, standing and with Silk's help walking to the hospital, wincing slightly every time another contraction came.

Her labor lasted nearly as long as Lucy's, with more screams and squeezing Itey's hand. Itey fainted at some point and a nurse dragged him out, leaving Lilly to scream and curse out Snoddy, Tommy, and Shrimp. The nurses and doctors exchanged looks but decided against asking questions.

Lillian gave birth to a tiny little girl, who shared her mother's hazel eyes and dark brown hair and had no features that gave any indication as to who her father was. Not that Lillian expected anything.

"She's beautiful, Lilly. What're ya gonna name her?" Itey sat next to Lillian, letting the little girl clutch at his finger as he watched her, fascinated. He had woken up in the hallway and wisely waited outside until a nurse told him Lillian had given birth and he could come back in.

"I was thinking Cecelia Elizabeth. That's pretty, isn't it? Cecelia Elizabeth Perkins?"

"Real pretty, Lilly." Itey grinned at his best friend. Lilly just kept looking at the baby, utterly amazed that this little angel was hers.

"Cici for short, I think. Do you like that, sweetheart? My little Cici." She gently traced Cecelia's cheek and smiled.

* * *

><p>About a month later, after the girls had cooed and fussed over Lauren and Cecelia to their hearts content, Scribble was spending the day with Race at Sheepshead, idly watching the horses but more focused on just spending time with Race. Race kept offering to go get her water or something to eat or if she needed another parasol, worried about her fainting or getting sick in the heat. Pittie had lectured him about making sure Scribble wasn't too tired or warm and he had come out of that lecture constantly worrying about Scribble's health.<p>

Scribble usually rolled her eyes at his offers, since she felt perfectly fine, and responded by asking him about the different horses to distract him. That usually did the trick and she smiled as he started describing that particular horse's track record and history. She was nodding along with one of these descriptions when her eyes went wide and she clutched her belly.

"What? Scribble, are you okay?" Race broke off and gently touched her shoulder, trying not to look utterly terrified at any change in her condition.

"I, um…." Scribble bit her lip, thinking and trying to figure out what was going on. "I think I'm going into labor?"

"What? Oh, caro me, what the hell do I do?" Race jumped up, looking around frantically.

Scribble rolled her eyes. "You take me to the hospital, Race."

"Oh. Oh, right! Um…. Can ya walk?"

"Yes, Race, I can walk." Scribble sighed and grabbed his arm to help herself up. She hadn't expected Race to have any idea what to do anyway, but she hadn't figured he would look like he was going to fall over in a faint the minute she didn't need him. "Don't faint until we get to the hospital, okay?"

Race laughed at that, despite his expression of pure terror. "I ain' gonna faint."

Once they arrived at the hospital, Race passed out as soon as Scribble started screaming at the labor pains. Scribble was lucky, her labor was much shorter than Lillian's or Lucy's and she soon held her little baby boy in her arms.

Once Race woke up (or, rather, once a nurse dumped a pitcher of cold water on him to wake him up) he stood next to Scribble's bed, grinning at the baby wrapped up in Scribble's arms. "What're we gonna name him?"

Scribble paused, looking over the baby carefully. "Adam? Adam Higgins, that sounds nice, doesn't it?"

"Real nice, Scrib. He's great."

"Mhmm. Like his father." She laughed slightly, smiling up at Race. He smiled back and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"An' his mother."

* * *

><p>Sassy went into labor next, her pains starting during one of the weekly lunches with the girls. Lucy and Lillian went with her to the hospital for support, since she and Horse were done and she was still afraid to speak to Snitch. The two girls took turns sitting through Sassy's labor and holding her hand and waiting in the hallway with Cecelia and Lauren, who were both about a month old.<p>

Sassy's labor lasted about fourteen hours, with her exercising all the colorful language a newsgirl knew and shocking the attending doctors and nurses. Eventually, she gave birth to a lovely little girl, who had her mother's brown hair and dark brown eyes.

Lillian held Cecelia up to see the new baby. "What will you call her, Sassy?"

Lucy sat in a chair next to the bed, quietly rocking Lauren.

Sassy dangled her finger in front of the baby's face, smiling as she grabbed onto it. "I was thinking Morgan Belinda? I guess Morgan Belinda Armano, until I find out who her father is?"

"That's lovely. Cici, say hi to little Morgan!" Lillian giggled and held up Cecelia's hand to wave at Morgan.

"How are you two going to figure out who the fathers are?" Lucy asked.

"No idea," Sassy admitted. "But we'll figure something out."

"Is it bad if I just want to say the baby is Snoddy's, because he's probably going to be the only decent father out of the three options?" Lillian bit her lip as she glanced down at Cecelia.

Lucy thought for a moment before sighing. "It's understandable. Just not very honest, Lilly."

"I want this to be Snitch's daughter…." Sassy murmured, her face downcast.

"Well, somehow, we'll find out for sure." Lillian nodded decisively, wishing she was as confident of that as her words were.

* * *

><p>Pittie went into labor when she was visiting her brother, Jackson, in Brooklyn. She was playing with Tumbler on the floor when she started having pains. She sat still for a moment, to make sure she really felt it, and when she had another pain she shouted for her brother. "Jackson?"<p>

"What?"

"I'm going into labor! We have to go to the hospital!"

"Okay, okay, gimme a minute!" Jackson sighed and went to go tell his wife he was taking Pittie to the hospital and she should bring Tumbler by later. "C'mon, Jacy, let's go."

Pittie's labor was mercifully short, since this was her second pregnancy. She gave birth to two little boys, both with bright red hair and their mother's blue eyes. Jackson's wife had brought Tumbler to the hospital and he clamored up onto the bed.

"Tumbler, these are your little brothers." Pittie grinned at her three little boys.

"Really? What're their names?"

"Peter and James. Those are nice names, right?"

"Yeah." Tumbler studied the two little babies, frowning. "I like their hair," he finally declared.

Pittie laughed. "Yeah, I do too."

* * *

><p>Silk was the last of the girls to give birth. She was sitting at home, reading downstairs while Horse was upstairs with Shemp doing God knows what when she felt the first pain. She ignored it for a while, until the pains for too close and sharp for her to ignore. "Clarence!"<p>

There was no response.

"Clarence!"

Still nothing.

"Clarence I have to go to the hospital and I really don't want to have to come up there!"

After a moment, she heard a door open upstairs. "God, what Josie?"

She sighed. "I have to go to the hospital!"

"What? Why?"

"Because I'm going into labor you moron!"

"What? Oh, God…. Give me a minute, Josie!"

Silk sighed and settled down to wait. Upstairs, she could hear Horse and Shemp talking.

"What was that about?"

"My sister's going into labor!"

"What? Oh my God, really?"

"Would she lie?"

"I don't know! No, of course not. Oh, God…"

Silk couldn't help laughing, even as the pains kept coming.

She was in labor for almost as long as Lucy was, screaming and squeezing Horse's hand until he felt like screaming himself. But she gave birth to a tiny little girl who had her mother's blonde hair and blue eyes.

Horse and Shemp stood by hospital bed, watching Silk coo over her little girl. "What are you going to name her, Josie?"

"Claudia, I think. Claudia Gooding."

"Very pretty name, Silk." Shemp smiled.

Silk hesitated a moment before smiling back. "Thank you, Shemp."


	6. Chapter 6:In Which Logic Ceases to Exist

"Um… What the hell is goin' on?" Jack stared at the transformed bunkroom. There was a raised stage area with four chairs on one side, ten chairs on the other, and a sofa and several armchairs in the middle. The bunks were all gone and replaced with theater seats in rows facing the stage.

"I have no idea…" Rosetta frowned, focusing on the three cameras set up facing the stage. At least, she thought they were cameras. They were nothing like the cameras she had seen and posed for with her family, but that was the only thing she could think they could be. They appeared to have lenses, at any rate.

Jack and Rosetta were the only two in the room, staring in confusion as the door behind them burst open and a flurry of people in strange clothing hurried in, some going over to the cameras and the stage but most fluttered around a man in the center, touching up his makeup and answering his questions.

"Yes, we sent notes to all the mothers and potential fathers. Weirdest names these boys have…. Anyway, we got the DNA samples and the tests are in, we invited all the others to fill up the audience, it should all go perfectly!" A blonde woman with a clipboard chirped, checking things off as she spoke.

The man nodded distractedly and pulled the… what was that? A phone? It was so tiny and shiny… he pulled it away from his ear. "Damn cell service here sucks."

"Maury, we're in 1900. You're lucky you have any service at all." The woman rolled her eyes and went back to her clipboard.

Jack and Rosetta just stared, completely and utterly lost. "What the hell…" Jack muttered.

"What's DNA?" Rosetta murmured, her brow furrowed.

"No idea. Thought ya would know."

Rosetta shook her head as they continued staring at the strange people, completely ignored by them. Eventually, the man and most of the people around him moved off to the stage area, leaving the woman still noting things on her clipboard. After a moment, she looked up and her eyes fell on Jack and Rosetta.

"Who are you two, then? I thought we had a closed set…"

"Um…" Jack cleared his throat. "I'm Jack Kelly, also known as Cowboy, an' I'm the leader of the Manhattan newsies. What're ya all doin' in our lodgin' house?"

"Oh!" The blonde woman smiled suddenly. "Jack, right. Well, dear, we're running a little show here and had to borrow the bunkroom. We'll put it all to rights when we're done. And we're helping out your friends with all the baby drama. I'm Jenny." She briskly shook Jack's hand and turned to Rosetta. "Are you one of the mothers?"

Rosetta paled and quickly shook her head. "Oh, God, no. I'm Rosetta Valentini. Um… Jack's girl."

Jenny beamed, clearly not fazed at all. "Lovely, dear. You two make a very cute couple." She didn't notice how much they both blushed at that. "Well, you two will just be in the audience, then. Enjoy the show!" Her smile didn't drop in the slightest as she started to bustle off.

"Wait!" Rosetta held out a hand to stop the woman, frowning slightly. "What is DNA? You mentioned that earlier…."

Jenny turned and paused for a moment. "It would take a while to explain…. Just know that with it, we'll be able to tell who the fathers really are. It's like… A magic ID card everyone has."

"I don't fully understand…"

"Dear, I can't really explain it, I just know it works. Well, enjoy the show!" Jenny laughed slightly and waved before bustling off.

"I don't like the sound of this…." Rosetta pursed her lips slightly, not satisfied with the explanation.

Jack wrapped an arm around her waist, lightly kissing her temple. "Eh, it'll turn out all right. Don't worry."

* * *

><p>The newsies and their girls had all been corralled into the bunkroom, the mothers seated up on the stage with their babies, talking and whispering to one another, the potential fathers seated on the other side of the stage, all looking very nervous and uncomfortable. In the audience, Scribble and Lucy sat next to each other and idly played with Adam and Morgan as Race and Swifty sat beside them, both very relieved they weren't up on the stage like the other boys.<p>

"Are we all set? Let's see, ten chairs, only nine boys…. Hmm, who are we missing, then?" Jenny was fluttering around the stage, making sure the girls were comfortable and the boys were all there.

Itey cleared his throat and muttered, "Tha' Shrimp fella. He ain' here."

"Oh." Jenny pursed her lips, then raised her clipboard to scribble down a few notes. "That's fine. Added drama. One of the potential fathers is a deadbeat. The audience will love it!" As she looked back up, her smile was blinding as she began to reorganize the boys so they were sitting in ideal positions for the camera to catch them all.

"Wha' audience?" Snitch muttered to Itey, looking at the partially filled theatre seats with their other friends who seemed amused by the entire situation. Itey just shrugged, but Jenny spoke up.

"The television audience, silly! Oh, wait… Never mind. It's not important, you all just worry about reacting in the most dramatic way possible!"

Horseshoe chuckled as he glanced over at Shemp. "Not gonna be that hard."

Just then, the older man who had introduced himself as Maury to everyone walked out, taking a seat in one of the chairs in the center. He glanced up at Jenny, who had moved behind the camera men and gave him a thumbs up. As she started counting down, he looked around and gave everyone encouraging smiles. "Here we go!"

Jenny flashed three, two, and one fingers, then pointed to Maury. "Hello ladies and gentlemen and welcome to a very, very special edition of Maury! We're here in New York City in the year 1900 with a very special group of newsies and their friends, who have just the tiniest little dilemma on their hands. These four lovely girls don't know who the fathers of their babies are!"

The camera panned over to Lilly, Sassy, Pittie, and Silk, who waved a bit awkwardly, still not sure what was going on.

"Well, let's meet them and their adorable little babies, and then we'll find out what all this confusion is about! Now, let's see, Silk, dear, come on over and introduce yourself to the audience."

Silk slowly stood up with Claudia and moved to sit in the chair next to Maury, smiling hesitantly.

"Ladies and gents, this is Josephine Gooding, otherwise known as Silk, and her little baby girl, Claudia. She's five months old and isn't she a cutie?" Jenny cued an 'awww' sound effect, making Silk look around in slight confusion. "Now, Silk, why don't you tell us about yourself?"

"Um, well, I'm a seamstress, I sew dresses and such. I have an older brother, Clarence…. He's sitting over there." She pointed to Horse. "And, um…. What else am I telling you?"

"Well, dear, you don't know who Claudia's father is. Why don't you tell us about that?"

"Okay. Well, um, I was seeing Itey when I got pregnant." The camera panned over to Itey, who seemed to be pretending he didn't exist. "But I don't think he's the father… I mean, we were only really…." She blushed and coughed awkwardly, "Once, and, well, Claudia doesn't look at all like him. Not even the tiniest bit."

"Well, then, who do you think the father is?"

Silk looked down at Claudia, eventually saying, "Either Pie or Crutchy. I'm, uh…. Not sure which." Her cheeks were bright red and she fell silent.

Maury patted her shoulder. "Well, we'll be finding that out in a while. Thank you, dear, you can go sit down." Silk quickly returned to her seat with the other girls as Pittie was called up to speak with Maury, balancing a red-headed baby on each hip. "Folks, this is Jacy Murphy, known as Pittie to her friends. And these are James and Peter, two precious five and a half month old boys. Tell us about yourself, Pittie."

"I work in my grandpa's shop in Manhattan, but I live down in Brooklyn. I have an older son, Tumbler, he's almost five now. Um…. I was seeing Shemp when I got pregnant," as the camera panned to a glaring Shemp, "But the babies probably aren't his." She laughed, shaking her head.

"So, who do you think the father is?"

"Flame. He's a Bronx newsie." She pointed over to him. "But he doesn't believe me and he keeps saying he doesn't like kids at all, they scare him." Pittie rolled her eyes. "Look at their hair, who else could be the dad?"

"Well, we'll be able to prove to Flame once and for all he's the father." Maury chuckled and sent Pittie back to her seat, calling Sassy up. "This is Isabella Armano, better known as Sassy to just about everyone. And this here is little six month old Morgan, her daughter. Isn't she just adorable? Why don't you tell us a bit about yourself, Sassy?"

"Well, I'm a newsgirl. I sell papers every day and I have to carry Morgan around with me. But she gets a lot of sympathy buys. I was dating Horseshoe when I got pregnant and I was so sure the baby was his, or I really wanted it to be his, because he was getting distant, you know? And I thought a baby would have to make him love me. But, uh…" She shrugged, playing with Morgan's hair. "She could be Snitch's daughter. And Horse left me, anyway. So I don't know what to do."

"Thank you, Sassy. And we'll help you out with that." Maury smiled encouragingly at her and sent her to sit down as he called Lilly forward. "And finally, this is Lillian Perkins, but everyone just calls her Lilly. And in her lap is Cecelia, her seven month old daughter. Gosh, what a little cutie, she looks just like you." Maury chuckled. "Tell us about yourself, dear."

"I'm a dancer, I dance in Medda Larkson's vaudeville show and I teach lessons to little girls in a studio in Greenwich Village. Um…. It's really complicated. I was technically seeing Shrimp when I got pregnant, but I was about three months along by the time I noticed, and I had just started seeing Shrimp around then, but before that I was, um…." She paused, biting her lip. "_Intimate_ with Snoddy and Tommy before that so…. Cici could really be any of theirs, but I think it's more likely she's Snoddy or Tommy's daughter…." She trailed off, eyes downcast.

"Well, don't despair, we'll figure it all out." He sent her back to her seat and grinned at the camera. "Well, folk, you've met the four friends who don't know who their baby daddies are. When we come back, we'll meet the nine young men who are here today and will find out who really is the father of each of these little babies."


	7. Chapter 7: In Which The Males Speak

"Welcome back!"

"Welcome back from what?" Scribble turned to look at Lucy from where they sat in the front row and the latter shrugged as she bounced Lauren on her knee.

"I don't have any idea what that man's talking about half the time. Just be glad we don't have to work today."

Scribble laughed at that, but was quickly hushed by one of the strange people who appeared to work for Maury.

"Now, we'll be bringing each of the boys up, to tell us a bit about themselves and why they are or aren't the father! First up, we have Itey!"

The Hispanic boy stood and slowly made his way to the couch next to Maury, sitting and tucking his hands behind his knees awkwardly. "Uh, well… I'm Gabriel Casales, but everyone calls me Itey. I was, uh, courting Silk when she found out she was pregnant, but, um, like she says, the baby probably isn't mine. Since she's, ya know, blonde. Blue eyed…." He trailed off and shrugged.

"I'm Crutchy…. Well, James King. I was seeing Silk for a bit before Itey. I don't know if I'm the father, but, erm, if I am, I'll try an' be a good dad? I guess?" Crutchy seemed very eager to return to his chair.

"I'm Pie Eater. And, uh, I was seeing Silk before Crutchy. And, uh, I guess there's a pretty good chance the baby's mine—" He flushed bright red at this and tried very hard not to look if Horse was glaring at him. "—And if it is, well, uh, I'll do my best?"

"I'm Horseshoe. Clarence Gooding." Horse was glaring at either Maury or the camera-type-thing pointed at him. "Sassy says Morgan's mine. We had an on and off relationship, which was going south, by the way, and I think that even if the baby wasn't mine, she'd try and pin it on me to keep hold of me. So, you know, I won't be too broken up when it turns out Morgan's not mine."

"Tristan Evans, or, uh, Snitch. I, uh, had a bit of a thing with Sassy, when she and Horse were on a relationship break. So, uh, I think the timing's right, which means, I guess, the baby, er, uh, Morgan, might be mine?" Snitch was another boy who was clearly uncomfortable with the situation. "But, uh, I love Sassy, and I'll be there for her, even if the baby isn't mine."

"Zayn Mazari. Shemp. Was seeing Pittie for a while, but it wasn't going well. We're better friends. But the babies can't be mine. Look at their hair and freckles." He pointed vaguely towards Pittie and the twins before crossing his arms, clearly not willing to say much.

"Flame Daly. Yeah, I fooled 'round with Jacy a bit. Had some fun. She's a great gal. But I ain't cut out to be a father. Sure, I guess they look like me, but Jacy's Irish, she's got red hair in her family. Could pop up again, I dunno." Flame shrugged, a bit nervously. He just wanted to get out of this, too much to deal with.

"Tommy Monello. I ain't the dad. I only was with the broad once—"

"Twice!" Lilly interrupted, managing not to yell at him. "I am not a broad, who do you think you are—"

"The leader of Staten Island, that's who I am ya whore—"

"Don't call her that!" Itey stood from the boys' side of the stage, torn between going down to defend his friend and being terrified of Tommy.

"Okay, folks, let's settle down a bit." Maury didn't look too concerned with stopping the fight.

"Shut it, kid. Sit back down." Tommy turned slightly to glare at Itey before returning his attention to Lilly. "Look, there's no way in hell I'm doing anything even if the baby is mine, so ya might as well let me leave now." When Maury didn't make any move to tell him he could go, he rolled his eyes and returned to his seat, crossing his arms to wait.

"Um." Snoddy looked over at Maury before sighing and saying shorting, "I'm Snoddy. I might be the father of Lilly's kid. I don't know."

"Well, what if you are the father?" Maury pressed, trying to get more out of the sullen young man.

"Depends on what Lilly wants."

"Well then." Maury coughed before pointing Snoddy back towards his seat. "When we return, we'll get the paternity test results in and these dilemmas will be solved once and for all."

"Return from _what_?" Scribble hissed again.


End file.
